Christmas Night: Carols of the Nativity

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Editorial reviews

Album Description
An incredible collection of 22 carols, old and new, including I Wonder As I Wander, Away In A Manger, O Tannenbaum, and In Dulci Jubilo. "In the field of choral Christmas CDs, Christmas Night shines brightest of all." David Vernier – Classics Today

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Amazon.com
"The theme of this album is the birth of Christ, reflected in the words and music of 22 carols spanning more than six centuries." This description might also say that the program contains some of the best and best-loved Christmas choral pieces of all time, presented in a pleasing mix of familiar carols and lesser-known original works. Among the best-known selections are Darke's "In the bleak mid-winter" and Howells's "A spotless rose." Several original pieces by John Rutter appear here for the first time--"Christmas Night," "There is a flower," and "Nativity Carol." Other notable highlights are Peter Cornelius's "The three kings" and the lively Willcocks arrangement of "Tomorrow shall be my dancing day." Of course, the singing is among the best on the planet--in fact, there may even be a few heavenly angels in the soprano section. --David Vernier

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Customer reviews

review by: clee date: 2007-12-11 rating:
an extremely delightful CD
It's an absolutely delightful CD! The music is soothing and beautiful, the singing is so lovely and angelic. The lyrics are so beautiful that it brings me tears. `how do you write down a baby's first cry...' `what can I give poor as I am, ...'

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review by: attentive date: 2007-01-26 rating:
Great music, fine performance
Recommended for everyone to have since secularized "popular" Christmas music is repeated endlessly from mid November to 25 December with dreary lyrics and superficial performance. Carols of the Nativity is immensely better.

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review by: BILL MAC date: 2006-12-22 rating:
The Best of the best
I,ve been collecting Christmas Music for over 25 Years especially the non-pop genre. This is my desert CD. The Chanticleer and Kings College CDs are very good but this is the summit of quiet meditative music for the season. I always listen to this alone at night and still get thrilled and overwhelmed by it's beauty and sublimity. My favorite track is "In the Bleak Mid-Winter" simply because of the beauty of the poetry of Rossetti. I always give this as a gift to my friends who enjoy beautiful acapella music.Do yourself a favor and purchase this most beautiful of all Christmas music. I own over 200 Christmas CD'S and this one gets played at least twice a season. The other Rutter Christmas CD's are excellent but not quite in the same class. This is a once in a lifetime album. It is the centerpiece of my own personal celebration of christmastime.

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review by: Downhill date: 2003-12-18 rating:
Beautiful Music, Beautifully Sung
This compilation of Christmas carols both traditional and modern stands in stark contrast to much of the bubble gum, soda pop Christmas music so often heard on popular radio these days. There are no divas or over the top performances or attempts to make "a moment". What there is are beautiful songs sung by talented singers.

So many of these carols are so beautiful that it's hard to pick out which are the best. More likely than not, that's going to be a highly personal choice but if you see one of your favorites on the track list you can be sure that it's well performed.

In short, this album should be part of your Christmas collection. It's best listened to in the quiet time on Christmas Eve.


review by: date: 2003-10-17 rating:
A bleak Mid-winter
This CD contains the usual Rutter mix of gorgeous traditional treatments with a few incredibly schlocky arrangements. Fortunately, I can just leave the schlock off my iPod playlist (otherwise I'd return the CD).

The real letdown is my own fault: I didn't notice that "In the Bleak Midwinter" is the Darke version, not Holst. Ugh. If only the RealAudio samples had stretched one song further down the song list.

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Similar products

The John Rutter Christmas Album
Cambridge Singers Christmas Album
Christmas Star
O Come All Ye Faithful: Christmas Carols at King's College, Cambridge
The Holly and the Ivy: Carols from Clare College

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